<p>I am interested in apply to some USAC schools, however I live out of state and the tuition is way too pricey?? How much merit aid do they give out to the average student?
I want to go to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCIrvine, and UCSD. If possible, do the other schools (UC Riverside, Davis) offer better merit aid for good students?</p>
<p>USAC? </p>
<p>Aid is dependent on how much your parents make and to a certain point, your GPA. since youre OOS, you wont get the CAL grant. You’ll get some pell grant and loan offers if you decide to do FAFSA, but thats the only part offered. You might be qualified for Blue and Gold Scholarship, so look towards that as well.</p>
<p>+1 to what transferDK said. Well on point.</p>
<p>Blue and gold is for California Residents.</p>
<p>Unless you’re stats are amazingly perfect, you won’t get much help from the UC’s. California is broke and they’re having a heck of a time with just funding the California kids. So, the UC’s do admit OOS students but at full fees. The state needs the money. Are you OOS or out of the country?</p>
<p>Sorry that should be UC, not USAC. Stupid autocorrect -_-
I’m from Illinois, parents salary range from 100-150k/yr, GPA 3.75 unweighted, 4.64 weighted, 4 APs (so far in so. year), plan to take 20 more over the next 2 years. What sort of merit aid am Iooking at, at any UC school?</p>
<p>Holy heck, 20 APs?</p>
<p>From your financial status, your chances of getting any grants are thrown out the window. The school may offer you some loan, but no grants. Your best chance for the cheapest college is to go to a CC for 2 years, get your GE’s done, then transfer to a high tier school. If you have a LOT of AP scores, your cc may take them as credit, meaning you might be able to transfer on a year. </p>
<p>Usually, grants are awarded on the basis of need over actual grades. Scholarships is what youre looking for if you have good grades.</p>
<p>What about in-state students? I am an older transfer (25+), so they don’t look at my parents’ incomes (my parents are broke anyways). My EFC is 0, because I have no money (was below the poverty line last time I had enough income to file taxes).</p>
<p>In other words, what is the “most” a very poor in-state resident might be able to expect in terms of grant aid?</p>
<p>@CQbanana Anywhere from 20-23k. You’ll most likely get 23k, so you’ll have to come up with at least 7-10k(depending on where you live) to pay for the rest.</p>
<p>Wow, 20-23k every academic year? That would be incredible. I’ll try not to get my hopes up, but thanks so much for the info. I really have no idea of what to expect and am very afraid of big loans. :-[]</p>
<p>Aid sucks when your parents earn too much, but won’t pay a dime for college</p>
<p>20k in loans is nothings for a prestigious university. Kids that work at subway take out car loans more than that. You’ll be getting a Bachelor’s instead.</p>
<p>I’m well aware – 20k for two years at a UC (including cost of living) is fantastic. I will be very happy if my total loans are that low.</p>
<p>Since UC’s cost around 13-16k a year, that leaves you with 4-7k. If you triple room with a roommate at around 700-900/month, you would spend 250~300/month. theres usually (depending on the school) ~9 months. thats 2700~2250. Use the rest for food (youll need to cover a bit) and youre set!</p>
<p>So are Cal Grants automatic? I applied for a Cal Frant as a community college student but didn’t get one for some reason (and definitely not for lack of need). Is there priority for UC students? In other words, is it a “sure thing” if I have the requisite financial need, or does it depend on some other factors?</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for the advice. 
And OP, sorry for hijacking the thread!</p>
<p>Usually it would depend on
- The school cost
- EFC
- How much the school is offering you.</p>
<p>For example, if I return to CC next year, Id only get around 2000$ off Cal Grant.
If I go to CSU, Long Beach offered me 10k
If I go to a UC, more or less likely, they will offer me 20-22k.</p>
<p>Theres no priority, since FAFSA isnt the one whos giving you the money, but rather FAFSA tells the school “________ needs <$ money> because their EFC is <$$$>” and the school decides on your financial aid.</p>
<p>tl;dr, its up to the schools</p>
<p>So if I were to go to a CC in Illinois and complete the gen ed courses there, would I be able to transfer as a sophomore to a smaller school, such as Harvey Mudd, Caltech, or Cal Poly? Would they offer me decent merit aid (bring net cost to 20k or less/year)?</p>
<p>Most of the schools won’t cover much. I got regents to UC Irvine and it’s only $2500. Regents is like the best you can get (besides major specific scholarships & alumni scholarships). Since your family income is that high, you pretty much have to pay at least 30k+ in loans or out of pocket.</p>
<p>If you were to go to a CC in IL, you would transfer as a Junior, not as a Sophomore. Neither will give you any money since Cal grants only apply to students in CA. Your best bet for any college is to take out a loan (as bad as that is).</p>